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Jefferson County Public Schools, the largest school system in Kentucky, experienced a tremendous delay affecting its school bus transportation system.
As a result of the incident, which took place on the first day of school, a number of children were not dropped off at their homes until almost 10 p.m. The Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed they received calls from some concerned parents.
Superintendent Marty Pollio released a video on Thursday to express his apologies for the grand mishap. Pollio directly addressed the school district’s 96,000 students, their families, bus drivers and school officials, taking direct responsibility for the events which took place:
"I saw some incredible instruction. Kids excited, families excited, new school buildings, and to have it end with the transportation disaster that we had last night was truly unacceptable. And once again, I apologize for that."
It was revealed that the second and third days of school would be cancelled in the same recording.
A Facebook post on Jefferson County Public Schools' page was uploaded on Wednesday, which included additional information:
"We acknowledge that the delays and frustrations felt by families were worse than in years past as bus drivers, families, students and school staff all worked to navigate a brand new transportation plans."
Big changes to bus routes and school start times were recently implemented, which contributed to the situation.
For one, the school district pitched in a hefty $199,000 to hire the AlphaRoute engineering firm to establish a plan that would reduce the amount of bus routes and stops.
Jefferson County Public Schools also had to adapt to a driver shortage that wasn’t entirely resolved even with quicker routes and increased pay.
A reassessment of the district’s transportation operations will take place.